The web myth

Today (October 27, 2009) is the 15th birthday of Internet advertising. On this date in 1994 the first banner ads were posted on the web. In the intervening years many people have come to see web advertising as the magic wand of marketing. Businesses want to believe that they can put up a web site and the customers will come rolling in ("You get money for nothing and your clicks for free!") This is not quite true. The web is a victim of it's own success, with so much online clutter, your customer's website can easily be overlooked. Even Internet giants like E-bay and Yahoo realize they have to advertise in other media to drive traffic to their sites.

To demonstrate the need to promote their website in my papers I do a little "surfing" with my clients. Typically they know their web address and go directly to it in their browser. I ask them to find their site the way consumers usually do--by Googling it. Google and other search engines make their money by selling "sponsored listings." I did this recently with a local carpet company. The results of my search found the customer's site but they were listed below a number of discount dealers offering up to 60% off retail. One of the companies listed suggested shopping at your local store, getting the stock number and then comparing prices online. By including their web address in a print ad, the carpet store can ensure that shoppers will go directly to their site without having to compete with the online discounters. By directing shoppers to their site in print they can turn the information super highway into a one way street leading right to their store.

Keep smiling, keep selling

Thanks Jim Busch